ROHAN SOLOMON is a singer-songwriter, composer, vocal coach and audio engineer, all rolled into one. As the lead vocalist of Delhi-based Alt-Rock band Cyanide, he has been successful in carving a niche for himself by being a part of a Grammy Award winning track called ‘Bubblin’ by Anderson Paak.
Q. Tell us about your latest number Keep Holding On. What made you do that?
A. Keep Holding On is a track that talks about this self-quarantine and lockdown situation and how it is affecting all of us. Some of us are fortunate to be at home with family or friends, but there are also many people who are living alone. This lockdown is affecting all of us and it is hitting some worse than others. Whether you are feeling alone, depressed, just lost your job or are simply just getting cabin fever, this song aims to bring some joy, hope and a ray of positivity to the listener. The message is to Keep Holding On to something good (a friend, family member or even just a good memory) to help you get through this time and eventually things will get better and we can overcome this together.
Q. How were you able to manage and bring together the collaborations, because the featured artists are from 20 different countries?
A. It’s actually 20 different cities spread over 9 countries. All the people that are in this video are dear friends or family or just amazing artists who I have a lot of admiration and respect for. I wanted to cover as many cities as possible, so I made it a point not to repeat any city and just started to think of all the friends I’ve made in the industry over the years and just reached out. Nobody broke lockdown or quarantine for this video. They sent me audio clips from their home studios followed by video clips and some cousins (who are not musicians) just sent video clips singing along with the songOnce I had the entire group vocal audio clips that my friends (who have home studios) sent to me, it felt huge and grand to blend their voices in with mine. This got me excited to reach out to two amazing singers ‘Chezin’ (Gurugram, India) and ‘Sasha Prendes’ (New York, USA) who happen to be good friends of mine. They sent me their vocals and they fit together so well. I also reached out to ‘The Heichel Sisters’ (with whom I’ve co-written and developed a song with a few months ago). It would not have been complete without them.
Q. The track Keep Holding On is very different from the tracks of By Chance Trilogy. Songs from the trilogy are purely influenced by classic rock, with a tinge of alt and post grunge seen, whereas this song Keep Holding On is slanting more towards the Pop sound. Would you tell us about the generic shift you have gone through?
A. Yes, By Chance is mainly rock/alt rock. The trilogy with By Chance was all live instruments, whereas Keep Holding On has more electronic or MIDI instruments. I think the only actual live instrument in there is the electric guitar. I wanted to explore and step outside my comfort zone and venture into a little bit of electronic pop. I believe that music has no boundaries. That’s not to say, that my next single won’t be all live instruments again. Who knows? When I’m producing, I just like to stay motivated and feel the vibe and just do whatever feels right. Even if you really look at Cyanide songs, they all had pop choruses backed by vocal harmony, it’s just that the presentation of the band was more of a rock band, but the core of it was always pop.
Q. Tell us about your journey in the music as an independent artist? How is the indie scene of NYC different from Delhi?
A. The Indie music scene has always had its ups and downs. It’s very interesting to watch the trend. Just today, I was catching up with an old friend of mine Ameeth Thomas (Junkyard Groove) and he told me that before the lockdown, there was huge live rock band scene in Chennai, which is not there today in Delhi. In Delhi, we mainly have electronic acts, which are cool too, it’s just different. The scene is going to change, nobody can stop that, but the important thing is to stay true to yourself and your sound. My journey to New York happened because I wanted a change in my life. I was not excited by performing live anymore. I was very intrigued by the studio environment and how different the scene is over there. There are small local scenes in various parts of New York City and neighbouring cities in Jersey. Brooklyn has a huge metal scene and also a huge hip hop scene. Local artists have their regular bars that they perform at. Great acts are coming by Manhattan venues like Rockwood Music Hall or Bowery Electric or The Blue Note Cafe.
Q. Since you are a vocal coach too, would you mind share some tips with the readers on Vocals?
A. Great vocal techniques depends upon your breathing technique and keeping your body loose. The more you can sing independent of your jaw and your shoulders, the more free your range will become. There are some very effective exercises that I do before singing that have helped me for years. I learned a lot from Eric Arcenaux and J. Chris Griffin when I took vocal coaching from them. In time, I’ve developed my own tricks and techniques that I often share with musicians.
Q. You were a part of a Grammy winning track Bubblin. Would you talk a bit about the track and share your Grammy experience?
A. Yes, I was the assistant engineer on that session. I was an intern at the time at a recording studio called ‘Engine Room Audio’ in New York City. It was a great experience to be in the same room as Anderson Paak. As far as that session goes, there was a lot of technical work for me to focus on, so I couldn’t really enjoy the session as a fan, but no doubt that he is extremely talented… a fabulous drummer and vocalist. I was assisting ‘Vinnie Pagano’ the recording engineer (he also mastered ‘Keep Holding On). There were loads of troubleshooting issues that Vinnie and I had to deal with before the session started, but we managed to get everything sorted out before the artist reached. From what I remember, the recording session went off pretty smoothly. The rest is history.